Zandile Tshabalala (b. 1999, Soweto, South Africa) is a visual artist currently completing her BA(FINA) at the University of the Witwatersrand, SA. Working primarily with acrylic and oil paint, which she sometimes infuses into sculptural elements and onto canvas, she frequently references and revisits the work of her predecessors, with most notable influences including Kerry James Marshall, Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, Cinga Samson, Nandipha Mntambo and Henri Rousseau. Addressing notions of representation, in particular, that of the black woman in historical paintings, her works seek to challenge the latter through her depictions of an affirmed body and gaze.
Zandile Tshabalala’s work has been featured in several international exhibitions including UNIT London, UK; Victoria Yards, Johannesburg, SA; and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Turffontein, SA. Enter Paradise is the artist’s first solo exhibition.
